


Mr. & Mrs. LadyNoir

by ihaveacleverfandomurl



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien spends too much time blushing tbh, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Awkwardness, Comedy, F/M, Rating subject to change, Romance, Years Later, mr. & mrs. smith inspired
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-09-23 02:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9637781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihaveacleverfandomurl/pseuds/ihaveacleverfandomurl
Summary: In her wildest dreams, Marinette Dupain-Cheng never thought that when it came time to split rent with Adrien Agreste, it would be on such platonic terms. Adrien didn't think sharing an apartment with Marinette would prove to be so difficult. Between hiding their superhero identities and dealing with confusing old feelings she thought she’d gotten rid of – as well as unexpected new ones he doesn’t want to deal with – Marinette and Adrien are realizing their new living situation is a mess.Honestly, they’d rather be dodging bullets.





	1. Moving In - Marinette

**Author's Note:**

> Housemates AU! Set roughly 4-5 years later, they’re adults and basically, not much has changed. In the loosest sense, based off of Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  
> Also: see title? Don’t mean we can’t exploit every side of the love square quite possibly in some steamy ways yooooo  
> EDIT (4/27/17): lol i updated the description bc it needed it

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was about done with her best friend. Admittedly, Alya was undoubtedly rightfully fed up with her too, but it wasn’t like Marinette hadn’t _tried_.

Really, honestly, it was probably for the best that whenever Marinette had tried to stumble out a confession – usually at least once a year was what Alya held her to – Adrien Agreste seemed to completely miss her words, love notes, gifts, and (okay, like two) mixtapes.

If he was so dense, did she really want to date him? No.

_Yes._

Whatever.

She’d gotten over it. It had been years. She wasn’t a flustered little kid anymore. Sure, Adrien seemed to have only grown hotter as time went on and his modelling career flourished into more mature shoots, and dear lord she couldn’t handle his green eyes smoldering out of the page of that one cologne ad, but _she was over him_.

Alya had taken advantage of Marinette’s slow recovery from only speaking stutter around their friend by pushing the two together at every turn, hoping one day, Marinette would actually be able to proclaim her undying love.

But alas, by graduation, only Alya and Nino were practically engaged. Marinette was neck deep in the friendzone. She’d told herself she didn’t mind, and as time went on, she found she didn’t. Truly.

Spending time with the trio and actually speaking to her long-time crush was...nice. And when she and Adrien had started getting coffee together after class to compare class notes, that was nice.

And when he’d started inviting her to hang out while Nino and Alya were on dates, that had been really nice.

If a maybe-relationship had to be sacrificed for the sake of their friendship, Mari decided that was perfectly nice too.

So much so that when she slumped across her bed, computer in lap, and complained loudly about the fact that she didn’t know where on earth she’d live after graduation, the offer he made as he sat at her computer − pwning n00bs with her beat up controller − actually made some modicum of sense.

_If fourteen-year-old me could see me now._

She turned to look into earnest, kind, entirely-too-friendly-and-not-at-all-romantic green eyes and sighed with an equally friendly smile.

“Sure. Why don’t we share an apartment?”

***

“What _possessed_ you – Why the hell – What the fuck −”

Marinette tossed the scraps of fabric from her project over the phone and turned back to her work. Anything to muffle the noise. It wasn’t on loudspeaker. It didn’t matter, an angry Alya could be her own loudspeaker.

The whir of the sewing machine calmed her mind as her foul-mouthed best friend sputtered.

“Why are you doing this?” finally came, a desperate wail from beneath taffeta.

Marinette exhaled and picked up the phone. “Because we’re friends. He’s going to university near the area, and I need a place to live away from my parents while I work on getting my own shop. It helps that I know he’ll be good for his end of the rent.”

“But Mari −” moaned Alya. “Why are you torturing yourself?”

“I’m not.” Her tone was sharper than she meant it to be, and she reined herself in as she tucked it between her ear and shoulder to reach for the sewing machine again. “Alya, I promise you, I’m not. We’re friends, and I’m really, really happy about that. And honestly, I’m not moving in with you to spend half the time watching you and Nino making out all over the couch. That would be infinitely worse than moving in with one of my other _friends_ so that I can afford a chance at being a successful adult.”

“A successful, _single_ adult.”

“So what? I’ll have my hands full with making online orders and planning out my real life store where I will be in charge and able to create clothes like I’ve always wanted!”

 _Also that part about being a superhero._ Not that Alya, still heading the mega-popular Ladyblog with gusto, knew that part whatsoever.

Dating would have been hard enough anyway.

“Just, promise me you won’t die a spinster, Mari. If you’re determined to live as friends with the guy you’ve been in love with for like, five years, then set your sights on someone else. Get on a goddamn dating app or something.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

The sigh on the other side of the line was deafening. “I don’t approve, Mari. But it’s your life. As you break my heart and throw away every in I’ve worked to give you, may you find happiness sharing an apartment with Adrien Agreste.”

***

This was how Marinette came to be standing at the base of a tall, skinny set of rickety metal stairs, looking upward to the windows lining the elegant old building − her phone in hand (maybe a dating app or two installed, hidden in the depths of secret folders) and her blond god of a very-off-limits friend standing next to her. She was proud of herself. A few years ago, she’d only be able to focus on just how close he was.

It was a nice apartment. She would have to make sure she kept up her current income to keep up her end of the bill.

“Ready?”

She turned toward him. Adrien was smiling, hefting two of the suitcases that were scattered around their feet. His eyes sparkled with hidden excitement – she’d learned to read him better these last few years of friendship.

She smiled back. “No more parents.”

His smile broadened and he, too, looked up at the building, toward their new front door. “No more parents! Come on!”

He began bounding up the steps, and she winced as they creaked and swayed, but Adrien paid them no mind. Reaching the door, he swung around. “C’mon, Mari, we have to open it together!”

The trek up the stairs with her own suitcase was slower and quieter, broken only by the squeak of a little flash of red from inside her purse. “Marinette, you probably don’t want to face Adrien looking like that.”

Marinette schooled the dopey grin from her face and looked down at Tikki, wrangling a more socially appropriate smile into place. “Are you ready to move in?”

“Sure am!” piped the tiny kwami, beaming up at her before ducking out of sight as Marinette rounded the last flight of stairs and her housemate came into view, key already in the lock, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

The lock clicked and they were _in_.

The apartment was cozy but sophisticated, homey yet stylish. _After all,_ thought Marinette, letting down her bags as she surveyed the place with a new eye of ownership, _a world-famous model wouldn’t live in a hovel._

The golden-toned wallpaper and matching classy furniture – a couch and two chairs, a gold-trimmed dark wood table, a TV in the corner – greeted them first, a pair of glass doors leading to a balcony lined with flower boxes to its left, and the sleek white kitchen behind a small statement of a dining table and cute marble breakfast bar to the living room’s right.

If one continued straight through the living room, or took a detour around the breakfast bar and through the arch in the kitchen, the small hallway led to their (tiny, but adorable) bathroom and finally branched off into their two rooms.

Marinette felt the call of her new bed – moving was tiring – but there were more belongings to retrieve down below, and Adrien patted her on the shoulder as he passed. She followed him out (congratulating herself for not stiffening at his touch), but as they started down the stairs once more, he paused and turned back.

“Hey, thanks for doing this with me, Marinette.”

She shouldn’t be flustered. She tugged on one of her pigtails and smiled awkwardly at him, praying the heat in her cheeks wasn’t as bright tomato red as it felt. “Sure.”

“No, really.” Adrien’s hand drifted up to grasp the back of his neck. “The only way my father said he’d let me go to university, much less get my own place, was if it was nearby. I may have some money saved up, but rent here is crazy expensive. I really couldn’t do it without you.”

“Shut up.” She giggled nervously. “You’re paying more than I am, anyway.”

“Yeah, but you insisted that I have the nicer room, so...” He grinned back at her.

“Well, I couldn’t afford −”

“Race you!” He was tearing down the stairs before she even finished her sentence, and the unfairness of it all had her almost pouting for a minute when she took off after him.

“The stair’s only wide enough for once person!” she yelled after him, and he laughed over his shoulder at her.

 _Well_ , Marinette thought, a not-entirely-fair plan taking shape in her own head as a grin curled its way across her face. _Two can play at that game._

Vaulting was second nature to her in a polka-dotted suit. In civilian clothes, there was a higher chance of falling and breaking her neck if she wasn’t careful, but years of acrobatics as a superhero had honed muscles she hadn’t known she had, and refined skills at twisting through the air and landing exactly where she wanted to.

Over the railing and down, down, down. Her feet made contact and the whole structure _screeched_ but held, and Adrien Agreste himself was screeching to a halt in front of her, eyes wide as she smirked up at him.

“Looks like I beat you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW that was a whole lotta setup man  
> EYYYY first ML fanfic please be gentle to me. Don’t know how long this’ll be, but I will try to finish it!! I don’t have a whole bunch planned out atm so updating might be SPOTTY LOL  
> just setting the stage for terrible puns i don't cosplay chat noir what  
> Also omfg i just realized i’m now writing two fics about people in fashion? what is this i know basically exactly nothing about clothes and modelling i’ll expose myself as being terrible at research and ideas


	2. Probably The Puns - Adrien

Adrien Agreste was about done with his best friend. Admittedly, Nino was undoubtedly rightfully fed up with him too, but it wasn’t like Adrien hadn’t _tried_.

“I can’t believe you couldn’t talk him out of letting you out of here! Paris is great and all, dude, but you’re _eighteen_ and you’re _moving out_ and you’ve _got money_ and you’re _an adult_. You should be seeing the world.”

“Two of those are the same thing, Nino. And it’s fine, I just need to get away from him. I’m doing that.”

 _There was also that part about being a superhero. Who protected Paris._ Not that Nino − best friend extraordinaire but still not necessarily the best secret keeper in the world when faced with his girlfriend the investigative journalist – knew that part whatsoever.

“Yeah. With Marinette. Interested parties want to know what’s going on with that?”

A slight, uncomfortable lurch in his stomach. “Aren’t you happily paired up with Alya?”

“Dude, I don’t want to date her. Not anymore, when her best friend is smokin’ hot. And really, really good at...ahem. No, I’m asking if _you’re_ dating her.”

“No? We’re friends.”

“So are me and Alya? And so are Ivan and Mylène, and Rose and Juleka. Hell, so are Alix and Kim...almost. All healthy couples should be, _mon amie_. Your point is?”

Adrien carefully folded another shirt into his open suitcase – or rather, one of many lying around his closet. He probably should be doing more prioritizing of things to bring, the apartment’s closet would definitely be downsizing from his giant walk-in here.

Switching the phone to his other side, he pulled back out the shirt and tossed it into the corner. Discarded. Who needed this many clothes? Not him. He didn’t want himself distracted by this stuff anymore, not when he had his whole life ahead of –

“You listening? Alya wanted to hear – I mean, _I_ wanted to hear if you’re dating.”

“No.” A pair of jeans into the pile. He had five other designer pairs almost identical to it. Useless.

“C’mon, man, really? Like really really.”

Adrien laughed as he sifted through fabric, excavating unnecessary garments. “Really really.”

“Listen, dude, you’ve been single for _how_ long? When you’re _you_? There are so many girls who would totally go for you – or, I guess...uh, dudes, too, if that’s...is that why...?”

“No!” Adrien’s hands stilled in his luggage as the reason for his lack of romance crept its way from its constant presence at the back of his mind to the forefront. A certain spotted suit and a pair of ribboned pigtails... “I just...I like someone.”

“I think I’ve heard that about a million times, but you’ll never tell me who. And I feel like now’s not going to be the time either?”

Adrien slumped back, his head cushioned by a stack of T-shirts, muffling a sigh. “You should probably head out. Aren’t you going out tonight?”

“Oh, god, is it that time already? She’s gonna kill me, we have reservations. Bye!”

A click and a dull tone, and Adrien chewed his lip as he thought of Ladybug.

***

Now, a few weeks later, bolstered by Nino’s grudging acceptance of the situation, Adrien raced down the stairs of his new apartment with a spring in his step – sure, he’d love to be far, far from his father’s clutches, but out of the house and living with his friend was just about the best he could ever dream for.

The blur and delicate _thump_ of a body falling directly in front of him brought him to a skidding halt. As Marinette Dupain-Cheng straightened, the smirk on her too-close lips had his heart thumping in his chest – he barely heard her words, that smirk was just like...just like...

“Looks like I beat you.”

Apparently he tried to find words that were far too out of reach for too long, because her expression melted into one of semi-mortified concern – the Marinette he knew, not at all...not who he’d thought she’d...

“Adrien? Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah.” He had to catch his breath. He braced himself on his knees. Did she make that face often? Had he missed it until now?

Was this what he was setting himself up for in moving in with her?

“S-should we get our bags?” She leaned over him worriedly.

“Yeah.”

***

It wasn’t that Adrien had never thought Marinette was cute. She _was_ cute, really cute, if he was honest. Getting to know her better had been one of the best decisions of his life.

Watching her when she was truly comfortable – tucked up on his couch, studying, sitting in her desk chair, sewing, curled in her bed on the few occasions when she’d simply been so tired, she’d fallen asleep while he was still over – truly, Adrien could see why Nino had fallen for her at first.

But even as the years passed and his interactions with her in his civilian form continued to be few and far between, Adrien couldn’t let down the torch he carried for his partner in crime-fighting. Even as she continued to giggle and tease back but gently rebuff any advance he made as his black-suited alter ego.

 _Maybe it was the puns_ , he lamented woefully one night after his lady had leaned in – a hair’s breadth away – he’d felt her breath on his lips – caught a whiff of her delicate fragrance (almost like a chocolate eclair) – could practically taste her –

“Let the cat get your tongue?” had slipped out and she’d pulled away just as quickly, shaking her head playfully, firing back some rebuttal he couldn’t remember because his head had been swimming.

_Yes, it was probably the puns._

 ***

Adrien’s window didn’t open. That was a problem in their initial scope of the place, he’d figured, but the presence of the balcony doors, facing towards the heart of Paris, had rectified this. Chat Noir needed a place to sneak out of.

Hopefully Marinette didn’t plan to fall asleep in front of the TV often − but even if she did, Chat Noir could be quiet as a mouse if he wanted to be. Hell, his kwami loved cheese enough to practically _be_ an actual mouse.

The one thing he couldn’t deal with, unfortunately, was an awake housemate in the living room around patrol time, which he found as he slunk out from his new room that had slowly turned into a fort of boxes as the rest of his belongings arrived from moving trucks over the course of the day.

Marinette straightened as guiltily as a thief in her own home from the door handles of the balcony as Adrien stepped into the room.

“I, uh, was just thinking, we should – keep the balcony unlocked, I −”

“Great idea, I like to go outside −”

“−need a breath of fresh air every once in a while −”

“−never know when I need some space.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

“Good plan.”

“Right.”

Adrien shifted awkwardly. Was she going to hang out by the balcony all night or something? He had to go soon if he was going to meet his lady on time.

She shifted too, silently uncomfortable. They stared at each other.

Finally breaking the stalemate, she cleared her throat. “Listen, I’m going to – I’ll head out. For the night. I don’t know when I’ll be back, so, you know, don’t stay up. I’ll...see you in the morning?”

“Sure!” Ah, she was going. Thank god.

Not that he didn’t love spending time with Marinette! He just...had a job to do, and a Bug to see.

The door closed behind her, and Adrien let a very uncharacteristic grin split his face. “Plagg, claws out!”

“Fine, but you better stock the pantry with some more cheese,” grumbled his kwami.

***

“Good evening, my lady.”

“Is it?” Ladybug turned to look at him as he alighted next to her, sitting down to let his feet dangle like hers over the edge of the building.

“Well, there hasn’t been an akuma attack for a week, it’s a beautiful night, and I’m sitting here with the prettiest little bug in Paris.”

She rolled her eyes. “What a compliment. I’m a pretty insect. I don’t know if that’s up to your usual standards, kitty.”

He wrapped his fingers around the edges of roof tiles, letting claws dig in as he kicked his feet out, sneaking a glance over at her. “I’m sorry. I’m just distracted.”

“Oh?” She sounded reluctantly interested.

 _He had her._ She didn’t like to talk of their civilian lives, it brought too much risk. But he’d just made one of the biggest changes of his life, and he was bursting to discuss it with her.

“You can’t accuse me of being some good-for-nothing alley cat anymore, Bugaboo. I’m a tried-and-true adult now, I’ve moved into my own place and everything!” He smirked at her, and she smiled back.

“That’s funny. So did I. My friend and I decided to split rent.”

“Ah, me too. But I’d rather be living with you, my lady. That would be simply _purr_ fect. _Paw_ some. _Fur_ real.”

She groaned. “You’re _bugging_ me.”

He was ashamed of the length of his pause of realization. “Did you just −”

The groan had been immediately followed by a smug smirk as she turned to him, and for the second time that day, he pulled back, an erratic pattern beating against his ribs.

He could’ve sworn – they had the same smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> now we have another part of the lovesquare set up ye!! time to get down to shipping  
> -  
> ngl i am in the process of molding my chat cosplay’s mask and ears which takes a lot of muscle and now i can’t really use my fingers without pain?? is this bad?????  
> (for the sake of the bad cat puns i will make i gotta keep at it)


	3. Transformations − Both

Ladybug watched as a reddening Chat Noir cleared his throat, looking away. “You, uh, could use some work on your puns. Not nearly on my level yet.”

“Oh?” She leaned closer, letting a finger come up to playfully ring his bell. “Quality over quantity, _mon petit chaton_.”

She pulled back, propping herself up on splayed arms, and watched her “suave” little kitten melt into a puddle with amusement. He really did seem a bit out of it, normally he’d be able to counter any light flirting passes she made with ease.

Maybe it was because the both of them had been preoccupied recently. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d simply sat above the lit-up night life of the city and just _talked_. Lack of akumas or no, they’d kept themselves busy during patrols, and one or the other seemed to scamper off at the end before real conversation could occur.

He’d seemed more tired than usual, and god knew she was. The stress of such a lifestyle change had been getting to her. Apparently the same had been happening to him.

She took this rare chance of her partner’s flustered distraction with his own claws to look him over. He wasn’t a _little_ kitten, not at all, really. In the last few years, Chat had lost the lean muscle of younger teenage years in favor of a bit more bulk. Though still the sleek black cat he’d always been, his arms had broadened, the muscles in his legs defined, and his back... Chat hunched over now, apparently pouting at her teasing, and god, his back. His shoulders had been approaching an alarming width, and damn, did it look good in a cat suit.

Not that she’d ever let him know that. She’d never live it down.

Forcing herself to snap out of it as her fellow superhero glanced over at her, Ladybug ruffled his hair and jumped up, surveying the moonlit streets of Paris.

“All right, I’m gonna make a few rounds. I’ll see you later, Chat.”

Recovering himself enough to send a trademark Chat Noir grin up at her from beneath her hand, he gave her a salute. “’Til next time, My Lady.”

***

The rounds were remarkably, boringly uneventful, but nonetheless exhausting after the day she’d just had. As she carefully hooked her yoyo into her new balcony and quietly eased open the doors, de-transforming, Marinette heaved a sigh of relief at the empty, dark living room.

Carefully, she shut the creaking doors behind her, resolving to oil the hinges the first chance she got, and turned toward the hallway, not a moment too soon. A thump had her whirling back around again, heart pounding. A figure crouched outside where she’d stood not a minute before, his sides heaving, the glass shimmering in the moonlight as clawed hands turned the handles to crack open the doors.

She almost choked, feeling adrenaline kick up her pulse further. He hadn’t seen her change back, had he? _Had he?_

“Chat?”

_What was he doing here?_

The black-clad form froze, green eyes finding her in the dark. A too-wide grin was thrown her way. “Ah, uh, hey, _Purr_ incess. Fancy meeting you here.”

“Um, not really. This is where I live? Why on earth are you here?” _Should I be wearing spots right now?_ Had she missed some akuma in her haste to get back to her bed?

“Oh, not – not particularly. I just was...on a round of the neighborhood. Thought I heard something. In here. And the door was open, so...” His voice squeaked as he straightened up. Something was up. She watched as he struck a pose, the bravado clearly a front. “I’m here to rescue you, should you need it.”

“I...don’t.” God, he was a nerd.

“Are you sure?” He rolled his shoulders and padded closer, tilting his head. His eyes glowed with a suggestive smirk. “Even if simply from a night full of boredom? I can assist you.”

And now, back to his regular self. She wrinkled her nose at him and poked him in the chest. “Climbing through my window at an unearthly hour and offering to ‘save me from a night full of boredom’? What exactly are you implying, kitty?”

His eyes widened, and she stared in surprise. Had he not realized the insinuations of his own comment? Was she – god forbid − the one with the dirtier mind in this scenario?

“Oh, no, that’s not what – sorry, I didn’t...” He drew back and wove his hands together behind his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t mean that.”

Marinette wanted to pinch herself. Chat Noir, awkward? _Blushing_? This had to be a dream. He couldn’t still be off balance from earlier. He was acting too odd.

“What _did_ you mean, then?”

He chewed on his lip, running a hand through wild hair. “I can...give you a _miraculous_ tour of the city by moonlight, I suppose?”

Nothing she hadn’t seen in a million trips flying through the Parisian countryside by yo-yo. “I’ll take you up on that another time.” She looked around. The apartment seemed awfully quiet after the ruckus they’d been causing, for all that her partner had “heard.” She hurried to catch Chat’s arm as he shrugged and clambered back onto the balcony railing, prepping for a leap. “Wait, you said you heard something? You wouldn’t happen to have seen my roommate, would you? Adrien Agreste? You and Ladybug saved him a few times over the years, I think?”

Chat’s tail thumped erratically against her shoulder, and he turned with another grin that seemed almost...frazzled. “Ha ha, yes! I...think I saw him outside! Taking a walk. Probably taking advantage of your beautiful surroundings, I’m sure. This is such a great location for a −” he shut his mouth.

“At this time of night? Really?” Granted, she’d just gotten back herself from a trip she couldn’t exactly talk to him about, but Adrien should have mentioned having weird habits like walks at hours such as this.

“I’ll go tell him you’re looking for him! Bye!” And Chat had launched himself from the railing like a bat out of hell.

* * *

Chat touched down at the foot of the stairs and pressed himself to the wall, sinking down and willing his heart not to explode.

He’d been about to transform. She would have seen.

Moving in with a person who wasn’t ridiculously absent from his life at all times had been a terrible idea. She’d find out his secret within the week.

As he furtively glanced around the street for anyone _else_ keen to find out his civilian identity, he detransformed and waved away a grumpy Plagg.

“Good going, kid. First night at your new place and you almost screw it up.”

“I’ll be more careful from now on,” Adrien muttered, passing the tiny cat creature a bit of cheese – effectively silencing him.

As he climbed the stairs, looking upward through metal slats, Adrien pondered.

As he unlocked the door, chewing on his lip, he readied for suspicious bluebell eyes.

As he opened it, he braced himself.

No Marinette. The room was empty.

Peering around, he started down the hallway, glimpsing a faint light emanating from beneath her door.

This could be his respite from answering questions about going out at – what was it now? Three? But...

He sighed and knocked softly. Better to address it. Better to make sure she wouldn’t start down a dangerous train of thought about him and a certain superhero never appearing in the same room together.

“Yeah?”

He pushed it open, his gaze roving over the beginnings of a nicely decorated, slightly pink room. Boxes still littered the space, but...it looked like Marinette in here. He smiled at the half-assembled dress forms already standing in the corner, the desk and sewing machine set up, the bundle of fabric and in-progress clothing pieces lying in a basket on the chair. An elegant Chinese folding screen in the adjacent corner shielded a wardrobe from view. It certainly wasn’t as bright as her old room, but she’d made it her own already. He hadn’t realized how bland his room looked. He’d elected to leave behind most of his old things – too childish. Now, as he examined Marinette’s space, he felt a wave of homesickness.

His eyes caught on Marinette herself, tucked into a giant pink and white bed, a lamp at her matching white bedside table casting a soft glow over the room. She blinked tiredly at him, and immediately, he started to apologize, trying to close the door again. She’d been about to go to bed, he shouldn’t have disturbed her.

But she smiled and beckoned him in, patting the foot of her bed as she sat up. Cautiously, he obeyed. Her covers floofed out around him as he sat, a million questionable excuses for his absence on his tongue.

“Chat Noir said you were wondering where I was?”

“Yeah, sorry, I was just worried. It’s late.” She stretched, yawning, and he noticed her pajamas – a lacy, low-cut nightgown that shifted to one side as she moved, affording him a glimpse of –

Had she always been so...well endowed?

He gulped and abruptly tore his gaze away from his _friend’s_ chest. Was he blushing? His face was probably bright red right now. He was being gross, she’d been kind enough to move in with him, and here he was, ogling her...

“Adrien?” She sounded concerned. He couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes, instead staring at her sheets as he balled the corner of his shirt in his hand. “Uh, I ah, just...went for a walk.”

Lame. He swore he heard Plagg snickering. He slapped his hand over his shirt pocket, muffling the laughter and a resulting squeak.

“Okay...” Uncertain, almost skeptical. The opposite of what he wanted. He had to distract her.

He forced his eyes up – and up further – to meet hers, summoning a smile. He could do this, he made a living off of smiling. “Did you have a nice time?”

Confusion. Then sudden comprehension. Now she was the one curiously stuttering out an answer. “Oh, while I was...I went out...Yeah, uh. Yep! Yes. I did, definitely!”

He waited for her to elaborate. She stared back, wide-eyed and not elaborating.

“Okay.”

“So...”

“Um.”

“Well, good night, Adrien!”

He blinked at her and let her usher him off the bed, towards the door. “Oh. Yeah. Good night, Marinette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically the summary of this chapter: everyone grew up and even with the non-canon crush sides of the square, the thirst is real  
> also s/o to my nerd cat son i am alarmingly becoming more and more like him every day (inserts [gratuitous instagram cosplay plug](https://www.instagram.com/p/BQ7XW1kA4Vu/?taken-by=kayzcray))


	4. Sleeping Beauty − Marinette

“Mari. Marinette. Wake up!”

Marinette jumped out of the tired stupor she’d slipped into as a snap of her best friend’s fingers broke her reverie.

“Sorry, sorry,” she mumbled, resting her cheek in her hand and stirring her no-longer-steaming café crème absently.

“Is it really so hard to sleep in the same apartment as your unrequited love, Mari?” Alya raised an eyebrow as she drained the last of her own cup. “It’s been, what, three weeks? Your dark circles are showing.”

Marinette opened her mouth to make a snippy, sleep-deprived comeback about how Alya should know better than anyone the reason for her _dark circles_ : Ladybug. But her words got thankfully jumbled as an intelligent part of her brain reminded her that as a matter of fact, Alya – and anyone else, for that matter – should have no reason to think Marinette would in any way be linked to Hawk Moth’s sudden rise once more. And it should most definitely stay that way.

Hawk Moth’s timing would have been almost comical, Marinette mused, sucking cold foam from her spoon, if it didn’t half make her want to break down and cry mercy. She and Chat Noir had both taken steps toward creating their adult lives, and the next night, their super-powered opponent began his onslaught once more.

Except the onslaught continued – the next night, and the next, akuma after akuma. Sometimes, on particularly hellish days, she’d find herself stuffing Tikki’s face with cookies, panicked, praying that the partner she’d abandoned was all right as Hawk Moth preyed on two, three, even four victims in one day.

Had the super villain’s schedule suddenly opened up or something?

“Earth to Marinette! Girl, should I be stealing you from your model boy and forcing you to sleep at my place instead? Nino might object to sharing the bed, but... We can take a rain check today if you need a nap.” Alya peered worriedly into Marinette’s face.

“No, no, I just...have a lot of orders to fill.” True. She hadn’t had time for a lot of sewing amidst the whole saving-the-city-every-single-day gig.

Alya leaned back in her chair and gave her friend a dry glare. “Uh huh. So that’s what this is?”

She didn’t like that look. She could usually count on the fact that that look from Alya was followed by _bad_ things.

“You need to go out.”

“No.”

“You need to have fun.”

“ _No._ ”

“You need to let loose and let your schoolgirl crush be a thing of the past, Mari. So Friday night, you’re going on a date.”

“N – _Alya!_ What?!”

“Relax.” Alya gently slid Marinette’s still very full cup from her fingers and sipped at it, grinning ruefully at her friend’s grimace. “I’ve got it all taken care of. Just dig out one of those cute little numbers you’ve designed and relieve some of your tensions.” Alya wiggled her eyebrows. “Maybe in more than one way, if you catch my drift. Miss-I-Haven’t-Been-Laid-In-Too-Long.”

“Listen −” Marinette began, sure she was beet red. How dare Alya bring up that one, short lived, now heavily regretted relationship when she was sixteen _now_? “I don’t −”

“Oh, you _do_.”

Alya’s phone buzzed and she dug it out of her pocket, then slapped the table excitedly. “Sorry, hon, I gotta split. An akuma just showed its ugly mug not too far from here, and our favorite duo is sure to make an appearance.”

“Oh, god.” Marinette, too, felt her phone vibrate with a news alert. A location. Good. She tried not to sound too rushed or encouraging in her dismissal of Alya. “Yeah, don’t worry about it, I’ll see you later.”

“Cool. Take a nap, Mari, have a break for a bit!” Alya waved as she tore out of the cafe and Marinette snorted at her best friend’s retreating back.

A nap, a break? Yeah, that’s be nice.

***

The akuma was rampaging towards a university campus, and it didn’t hit Ladybug until she’d swung her way onto its roof that there was a reason its name was known to her.

Adrien attended this prestigious school – its main building a tall, elegant square surrounding an enormous courtyard − École Normale Supérieure in all its glory.

Unfortunately, while students were dotting the courtyard below, Ladybug could spot (oh god had she just thought that on her own) no actual akuma among them, with no panic seizing the student body that she could observe.

That made her job a bit more difficult. If the media had already gotten ahold of it, surely the victim was around here somewhere? Had they not made it to the campus yet?

The sound of screaming told her where she must go, and Ladybug, rubbing her itchy, aching eyes, braced herself for the fight to come as she leapt from her perch.

The screaming had come from below, and she arrived on the scene just in time to hear breaking glass.

Bystanders lay scattered around the scene; curled in balls, sprawled out, stretched across the ground on their stomachs – bewilderingly appearing to be...deeply asleep?

Ladybug followed the trail to a broken window and carefully hopped through the opening, straightening as she stepped into the space.

She was in a classroom, lined with desks. Usually filled with students at this time of day. There were a few people slumped in their chairs surrounding Ladybug’s impromptu entrance, only their mouths hung open, gentle snores issuing from within.

The rest of the classroom was cowering in the back corner, herded by a figure clothed in what seemed to be a massive blanket. The professor, a white-bearded, balding man in a tan suit, stood at the forefront – if you could call it standing. He was trembling, crouching behind a blond boy in a trim, well-fitted charcoal peacoat and a familiar blue scarf.

Ladybug felt her heart lurch at the sight of Adrien, pale faced and eyeing the door that was being directly blocked by the akuma he resolutely stood in the path of, arms outstretched to shield his remaining classmates behind him.

More shrieks erupted from the students as Ladybug landed on the classroom floor, but they were tinged with excitement now, not fear.

Adrien’s eyes snapped to her, and Ladybug tried to signal that he get out of the path of the akuma, because her heart was in her throat at him placing himself directly in the line of fire as the creature blocking them into the corner turned to see what everyone was staring at.

Adrien seemed to get the picture, but his eyes widened and he shrugged helplessly as the akuma made no move to get out of the path toward the door.

Gritting her teeth as she turned toward her enemy, Ladybug spared a moment to wonder where on earth her cat was when a slurred voice broke the silence.

“So...Ladybug. There you are. Are you really going to stand in the way of my poetic justice as Sleeping Beauty?” The self-proclaimed Sleeping Beauty stumbled forward – still not enough for Adrien to slip behind – and Ladybug bit back a gasp at its face.

A young woman, indeed garbed in a giant rolled up blanket (decorated with multicolored galaxies that, had they been on a well-crafted dress in a less dire situation, Ladybug might have admired) stood staring at the spotted superhero. Her face, the only thing poking out of her blanket, would have been pretty, except her skin hung loose and gray. Enormous purple bags sank her eyes into her skull, eyes that were half lidded and bloodshot. An exhausted, lopsided grin turned up her mouth as she shambled closer.

_Yes, just keep walking towards me._

“Come on. Surely you’ve been so tired, you can’t handle anything anymore? You’re a superhero. Don’t tell me you don’t understand wanting nothing more than to sleep? Only my professors won’t let me. My homework is too much. I can’t do this anymore. And it’s _his_ fault!”

Sleeping Beauty whirled to point an accusatory finger at the shaking professor, just catching his cover, Adrien, in the act of sneaking away. She chuckled lazily as she slumped to block Ladybug’s housemate, reaching out a hand from the depths of her blanket burrito towards him.

“Oh? What’s this? Our resident goody-two-shoes, a _model_ student who seems to show up early and fresh faced every morning?” Adrien’s face had twisted at her pun, as if he was chewing on his tongue to avoid responding. His eyes darted toward Ladybug and back again toward Sleeping Beauty, quick enough to make Ladybug think she’d imagined it as the akuma continued monologuing. “Well, I think it’s time for you to count some sheep, Mr. Agreste!”

She reached out, making to wave a hand over his eyes, but Ladybug was already there, snatching Adrien out of her reach. The akuma came after her, tired eyes blazing, and Ladybug ran toward the window, her hopefully unsuspecting housemate in tow. “Run!” she yelled toward the classroom at large as the akuma continued its pursuit of her outside.

She turned toward Adrien. “Hey, I’m just going to...” There was no time to explain. She gave up and just heaved him over her shoulder. He squeaked in surprise and hung on as she sent her yoyo spinning through the sky, yanking them both away from the akuma.

Landing once more on the roof, Ladybug peered over the edge. Sleeping Beauty was stomping her foot in rage (or seemed to be, underneath the giant lump of blanket).

“Um...” A gentle tap on her back had her realizing she hadn’t put down her cargo.

“Oh! Adrien!” Ladybug tipped him back onto his feet, carefully steadying him on roof tiles. When she pulled back, she noticed his face curiously matched the color of her suit. “Ahh, sorry for just grabbing you! Listen, I’ll drop you off somewhere, but you should probably −”

“Hide, yeah, please. You should probably get back to her ASAP anyway.” Adrien was nodding too vigorously. “Do what you do best, don’t worry about me. I’ll get out of the way.”

Ladybug smiled at him and, caught up in the moment, tweaked his nose. “Good. Wouldn’t want to mess with your pretty face by falling asleep face-first or anything.”

Adrien slapped his hands to his nose and seemed to only blush deeper, if anything. She almost thought she heard a mumbled, “You think I’m pretty?” from behind his fingers before his gaze dropped and he cleared his throat. “Let’s, uh, get going.”

“Okay.” She’d swept him up into her arms before he could blink, and as his arms tentatively wrapped around her neck and his eyes searched her face, his throat bobbed just before she stepped off roof and into air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOOO THERE BE THE LADRIEN!!!! NOT ENOUGH OF THAT IN FANDOM TBH  
> adrien is turned on af by his lady carrying him around let’s be honest and being pretty is just the icing on the cake  
> also: babydolls i gotta take a lil break for a few weeks until my finals are over this quarter’s kickin my ass so you probably won’t see me posting this or my other fic for a bit  
> (unless my self-destructive shit brain decides i absolutely can’t work on complicated architecture projects despite them being due the next day and instead just spews out another chapter or two which is entirely possible)


	5. Catnapping − Adrien

If Adrien was very pointedly thinking about anything but Ladybug’s strong arms around him in order to prevent the population of Bonertown from going up by one, he would never admit it. Not in a million years. Seriously, if Nino had been right there, winking exaggeratedly, not then. Not if Alya had been elbowing him in the ribs. Not if Marinette had been grinning knowingly at him. Not even if Ladybug asked him...

Well...maybe then.

“Here.” The spotted heroine he was trying to pretend didn’t have an unfair pull on him  gently deposited him through an open window and into an empty classroom. “Please hide. I wouldn’t want my old – I mean, one of my – I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Really?”

Had she noticed him? Among the citizens of Paris, had she actually picked him out and remembered him?

“Of course. It seemed like I was always saving your old class from akumas, back in the day.” She smiled at him.

“Oh. Yeah. Okay, uh, good luck.” He could have been braver and darted up to give her a good luck peck on the cheek, but he didn’t.

As she waved and jumped back out of the window, he shook himself out of it and tapped his pocket containing a little creature snoozing off too much cheese. It was high time Ladybug got her partner’s aid.

***

“Sorry I’m late, Bugaboo.”

“Where have you been?” Ladybug sent a glare his way as Chat fell into running step next to her as they tore through the corridors.

“I got caught up. Fill me in.”

“Somebody didn’t get enough sleep because of school and now she’s making everyone −”

“Take _cat_ naps. Got it.”

“Why don’t you count some sheep!” came a faint voice from up ahead.

“I can hear her.” Ladybug’s pace picked up even more, and Chat stared in appreciation at her back as she pulled in front. Apparently she was tireless, because he was beat from all this constant akuma catching. But even as the thought crossed his mind, she stumbled on nothing and hissed in pain, rubbing her thigh as she slowed to a jog.

“Dammit.”

“What’s up?” He screeched to a stop.

“A cramp − I ache all over. How is Hawkmoth keeping this up? He must get tired too.”

“Me too. I gotta say, I don’t remember the last time an akuma was so relatable.” Chat stepped in front of Ladybug and crouched down, presenting his back. “But you’ve been in action for longer than I have. I think I can carry around a little bug for a while.”

She snorted and made as if to shove his head away, but it turned into a tired pat instead. “No thanks, kitty. I can handle myself.”

“Aw, come on. You’re limping.” And he had to confess, having her arms wrapped around him again would be nice.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. He suppressed a shiver as her hand trailed down his head to grip his shoulder as she finally jumped onto his back. “Let’s just put Sleeping Beauty out of commission and then we can get some actual rest.”

“Agreed.”

***

Although Chat could appreciate Sleeping Beauty’s catchphrases (“Visit with the sandman!” and “Catch some Z’s!” and her stolen “Catnap!” when she tried to catch him in action), he could also see where Ladybug was coming from when he punned too much.

The sleepy grouch quickly overtaking his body through the battle had him finally slamming the akuma to the ground much too hard, lightly slapping her in the face as he wrestled her blanket from her, and pinning her as he tossed the blanket to Ladybug. If this was what she felt when she was too tired for his wordplay, he couldn’t blame her for any pushback anymore.

As his partner banished the butterfly, the girl beneath him woke up, blinked, and, he was horrified to see, started to cry.

Backing off her, he raised his hands and then tried to help her to her feet, but she just curled up in a ball, sniffling, and apparently went to sleep. Thank god. He’d thought he had traumatized her or something – opening your eyes to a leather-clad, cat-ears-wearing guy leaning over you with teeth bared was probably not the most kind wake up call.

“Hey.” A red-and-black polka dotted fist nudged his shoulder, and he turned to meet her, summoning a half-awake grin in response as he brought his own fist to meet hers.

“Good work, Chat.”

“Same to you −”

“Ladybug!”

He yawned as Alya sprang to his Lady’s side, camera at the ready as she babbled to the heroine.

He couldn’t make it back to class and actually absorb anything, he’d fall asleep across his desk. It was time to call it a day, for now. Maybe Marinette would take a break from her orders and play a bit of Ultimate Mecha Strike III with him until it was a more acceptable time to go to bed. He’d thought moving in with her would let them spend more time together, but between his new classes, modelling gigs still pouring in, and Hawkmoth’s all-time-high of akuma transformations, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent so long without exchanging more than a few words of greeting or farewell with her.

He missed her.

“Chat?” Ladybug was looking at him questioningly. Alya’s head had turned his way, too, and he stared at them for a moment. They’d asked him a question, he hadn’t heard it.

“Sorry?”

Ladybug smiled at him and reached up to pat him on the shoulder. “Get some sleep, _chaton_. I’ll see you later.”

***

Adrien’s transformation was done in a completely abandoned alley (he’d checked, double checked and triple checked), after learning from too many close calls that Marinette had an almost uncanny ability to catch him almost at the point of changing.

As he jogged up the stairs to the apartment and let himself in, he was hoping he could tap on her door and find her with her steadily whirring sewing machine.

But there was no sound, no answer.

He slowly pushed it open. She wasn’t in.

Did she actually have a packed schedule too? Was this why she looked overworked whenever he caught a brief glimpse of her recently? She was just so busy? Doing what, he had no idea, but disappointment settled its way into his stomach as he slowly closed the door and trudged towards the living room.

The click of the lock startled him as the front door slid open to accommodate the very object of his thoughts, fervently rearranging her hair and straightening her clothes. As she closed the door behind her and turned to catch sight of him for the first time, she jumped, clutching the handle of her purse.

“Ah! Adrien! Oh, hi!”

“Hey. Where’d you go? Usually you’re around.”

“Oh, I was, uh, meeting up with Alya. But...um...aren’t _you_ supposed to be at school right now?”

“An akuma showed up in my classroom, and I just...I wanted to...hey, listen, Mari.”

She blinked up at him.

“Do you want to play some Mecha Strike?”

***

“So you were so overwhelmed with an akuma showing up at school that you thought, _yeah, I want to go home and get my ass kicked_ , huh?” Marinette laughed in his ear as he set up the game.

“Shut up.” He tossed her lucky controller at her and sent her a half-serious glare as he went to settle into their too-comfy couch next to her. “I’m just really tired. And it feels like I don’t get to see you much anymore.”

“O-oh.” Her complexion looked nice tinged with red as she expertly tapped out button combos, eyes resolutely on the screen. His character died with as little grace as expected as he dragged his own eyes back where they belonged, huffing in irritation and stretching out further across the couch, leaning back against the cushy armrest. His feet landed in her lap, and she raised her eyebrows at him. He earned a few solid hits from this distraction before she slapped his ankles – causing him to yank them away − and got right back to beating him up.

“So, you had a nice time with Alya?” It was kind of strange, Alya had showed up on campus long before Marinette had made it home...

“Oh, yeah. I haven’t been able to hang out with her lately. She’s been so busy with her new job. And half the time I’ve asked, she’s been trying to keep her schedule open for dates with Nino.” Marinette rolled her eyes as she casually demolished Adrien onscreen. “But apparently she has enough time to set up dates for _others_...”

“Oh?” He suppressed a sad sigh as his controller vibrated in a defeated way and the match finished, Marinette winning by a landslide.

She seemed to realize she’d said the last part aloud and slapped her hand over her mouth. “No, it’s just − well, she’s making me go on a date on Friday, apparently. I don’t _want_ to, but...”

As they started another game, Adrien stared blankly at the screen. Marinette going on dates. That was...weird. He didn’t know why it felt so weird. And honestly, he had no right to be feeling whatever this was, really. He’d signed up for it – literally – when he’d signed his name next to hers on the papers for this place. They were living together, friends who supported each other through their lives of fashion, work, school, and...

Dating, apparently.

Maybe he just felt like this because he was so tired. That was probably it. As a matter of fact, his eyes were starting to feel so heavy, they kept slipping closed, even as the video game music continued, loud and animated.

By the time Marinette noticed that Adrien’s spamming of a single button was due to his head being slumped forward onto his chest and quiet, even breaths accompanying his otherwise slack hand’s grip on his controller, her eyelashes were fluttering too.

 _She would turn off the TV in a minute_. She allowed gravity to pull her where it would. _In just a second..._

***

There was hair in his mouth.

Weakly, he tried to spit it out, but it stayed in place.

He peeled his eyes open, reaching up to brush the stubborn strands from his face, but they weren’t a few blond strays as he’d expected.

A dark head lay on his chest, pigtails fanning out in delicate strands across his creased, day-old shirt. A warm body was curled across the length of his, a controller to the long-asleep TV in one hand resting on his chest. In his sleep, one of his own hands had found its way to her back.

Marinette. Marinette was sleeping on top of him.

They’d been playing, and he’d been tired, and apparently _she’d_ been tired, and he’d fallen asleep, and then _apparently she’d fallen asleep. On. Top. Of. Him._

And then, Adrien noted as he sluggishly turned an aching neck towards the window, they’d slept like that until morning.

Why did it worry him that he felt like the sudden quickening of his heartbeat would wake her, with the way her ear was pressed against him? Why, as he looked down at her again, did his stomach feel strangely bubbly, as if he’d thrown back an entire flute of expensive champagne at one of the fancy fashion events he’d been forced to attend over the years of being an Agreste?

Why was warmth curling gentle but insistent bands around his chest as he slowly raised his hand from her back to play fingers through her pigtail, then the bangs obscuring most of her sleeping face from view?

Why, when he brushed those bangs back to see her, did his breath catch?

Why did he look at Marinette Dupain-Cheng, his housemate, his friend of many years, sleeping peacefully on his chest on their couch and feel...

Feel like he did when he looked at Ladybug?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) oops i adrienetted............BOY’S GOT IT BAD & HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW  
> (*updates my fics once after a month of nothin & then probably disappears again*)  
> nah i’ll probably TRY to get back into the groove of switching off between them every week?? i’m on break so i have like zero excuses for not getting ahead of the game on this (other than like i’m trying to desperately finish my chat cosplay completely once and for all during this week and a half...con crunch here i come ;_;)


	6. Red and Black − Both

It could have been two minutes, it could have been hours, but it felt strangely right to be lying there, delicately, ever-so-gently stroking Marinette’s hair, not wanting to wake her up, but also half wanting her eyes to flicker open and for her to give some indication that maybe she could feel the same.

When her eyelashes finally fluttered and drooped and blinked, bluebells drowsily peeking from beneath a soft fringe up at him, he smiled at her. “Hey...”

Her reaction wasn’t immediate, but it was drastic. One moment, she was peacefully tucked against him, the next, she was halfway across the room, back against the wall, her hand over her mouth. “A-a-aah!”

He sat up, alarmed. “Marinette, I’m sorry, I just −”

“N-n-no, _I’m_ sorry! I fell asleep on you, I −” She looked around, eyes wide. “What time is it, oh god, I’m so sorry!”

“You don’t need to apologize! It was fine! Nice, even...” he trailed off but she had rushed into the kitchen to check the clock, and was now dancing in place nervously as she looked back up at him.

“You’re late! It’s my fault! I’m sor −”

“Mari, it’s _fine_. I don’t have class today, it’s Thursday...” He stopped. Wait. He didn’t have class, but...

“You have a shoot!”

Shit.

Time to run.

“Wait, how did you know that?” he threw over his shoulder as he, too, leapt up from the couch and rushed for his things.

“Uh, I, uh...” She tossed him his shoes as her eyes darted anywhere but his. “I heard you...talking about it, I think?”

“O – okay.... Well, um, so, I’ll...It’ll be all day, and I have class tomorrow so...I’ll see you tomorrow night, then?”

“Ah.”

She paused in her removal of his coat from its hanger, and he looked up at her.

“Well, um. Probably not? I...” She scratched her ear. “Alya set up that blind date for me that night, remember? So.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He tried to lace up his shoe in the awkward silence, but he kept on missing.

“So, later, then, I guess?”

“Yeah.” Robotically, he tugged the coat she handed him on and opened the door. He turned to close it behind him, and found himself face-to-face with her wide, ever-so-slightly anxious eyes. He should say something, something encouraging, something a good friend would say when their housemate landed a date.

“Good...luck?”

She blinked at him, and her lips twitched upward almost uncomfortably. “You too?”

He could’ve sworn then as the door clicked shut he already _knew_ that Friday would hold more than he bargained for. But then again, maybe it was just another sour feeling in his stomach.

***

It didn’t help when Ladybug casually tossed out one otherwise seemingly pleasant patrol night that she, too, would be busy Friday night and he would have to patrol on his own.

The hissy fit brewing inside Chat didn’t stop, even when he got to punch the chicken supervillain they were fighting in the face and thought to himself that he was really in a _fowl_ mood.

Not even then. 

* * *

 

“Oh. My. God. You look hot, okay?”

“Al _ya_! I can’t go in _this_!”

“Shut up and wear the slutty dress, Mari. Do it for me, just trust me on this one. His jaw will be on the floor. Your designs never fail.”

Alya placed a finger over Marinette’s protesting mouth and tugged her hands away from where they were fiddling with her dress straps.

“I may have made this, but that doesn’t mean I ever meant to wear it out of the house!”

“Look at yourself!”

Marinette sighed and turned to the mirror, straightening. The red dress was a strappy, hugging halter neck, with a skater skirt flaring out above her knees. It was cute, but the straps were also distinctly placed – one crossed over half of her chest, and the other took care of the other half. Only this also left _distinct_ patterns of skin showing, including enough of her chest for no bra to be in the works here. The little black pumps with a red bow on the toe were also cute, and so was the matching purse hanging at her side. Alya’s delicate and tender application of a hot makeup mess to her face and an even hotter curling iron to gently wave her hair was what tipped the scale between _cute_ and _sexy_ − in the direction Marinette wasn’t sure she wanted. She had to admit, though...

“I guess I look good.”

“Here.” Alya handed her a bottle and jumped to sit on Marinette’s bed, surveying her creation with a devious grin.

“Perfume? I haven’t worn that in forever.”

The look over the rim of Alya’s glasses was truly dry, even as she watched her best friend obey. “You also haven’t had a first date in forever. Well, I mean, I guess not _first_ date, technically.”

It took Marinette a moment of gentle spritzing for her to realize what Alya had said. The perfume almost slipped out of her hand. “Wait, what? What does that mean?”

“Oops. You heard nothing, Mari.” Alya tapped her nose and winked as she began to push Marinette out of her room and into the hall. “Now, isn’t it time you got going? Oh, hey, Adrien.”

 _Oh, god._ She hadn’t thought he’d be home in time to see her. She really didn’t _want_ him to see her. The man she’d been in puppy love with since she was a kid? She didn’t want to _see_ him see her.

But her eyes didn’t obey her in their quick snap up to her model housemate’s face as he turned from locking the door behind him − looking windswept and lazy yet somehow still _perfect_ , with a slouchy hoodie, a green beanie, and a laptop bag casually slung over a shoulder − keys still dangling in his hand, to look.

The keys dropped. He flinched as they hit the floor with a loud jingle, eyes glued to her. He was still staring at he dropped to his knees, feeling around blindly for them, and only when they were safely back in his hand did he spring to his feet and break his gaze, licking his lips. He looked ever-so-slightly pink.

“Uh, um, yeah, hey. Y-you look great.”

“Oh, thanks, Adrien. I have a boyfriend though, sorry.” Alya waved back at him, and he looked at her like he’d forgotten she was there.

“I...was – Marinette, I mean.”

“I’m kind of offended, but yeah. She looks hot, doesn’t she?” Smirking, she turned and twanged Marinette’s shoulder strap, which was too close for comfort to the slip of something important. Marinette squeaked, arms flying up to cover her chest, now blushing too.

Adrien, by this point, was as bright as her dress as he dazedly answered. “Yeah.”

They probably could have stared at each other forever, glowing red, but the snap of fingers in front of Marinette’s face broke their gaze as Alya started tugging her towards the door. 

* * *

 

“You had your chance, Agreste,” was hissed quietly at him as they passed, and Adrien really couldn’t figure out why the look Alya cut his way was so unamused as she spoke louder, to Marinette. “Well, time for your date, Mari. Knock ’em dead!”

 _He’d ‘had his chance’? What?_

* * *

 

Marinette took a deep breath as she slowly mounted the stairs up to the restaurant she was supposed to be meeting...whoever this mysterious date was.

“Don’t worry about it,” Alya had said when Marinette had asked how exactly she was supposed to recognize him. “He’ll be matching you. Black and red.”

Black and red? That could be anyone. What if there were multiple black-and-red-wearing men around? What then?

Marinette was sure she was chewing off her lipstick as she surveyed the crowded space. It was nice, a golden-hued light cast over tables and chairs of elegant metalwork, candles flickering on the modern stone and wood walls – classy, but not _too_ classy. Nobody was wearing a suit, but there weren’t a whole lot of patrons dressed down.

She danced on the tips of her toes, straining to see across the many heads seated around the area.

Was he not here yet? Was she just missing him completely?

Maybe...

Maybe she should just go home.

Yeah, she’d kind of been looking forward to some form of romance for the first time in...

In too goddamn long, that was how long.

But was this really a good idea? A blind date? A _late_ blind date? When she had a business to run, a city to protect, a life to live? When she was still thinking about somebody else?

Somebody blond, tall and lithe, somebody with a heart-melting grin, somebody there for her when she needed him, somebody she could joke and laugh with, she could talk to forever, somebody who...

Why did that feel doubly familiar?

“ _M-Marinette_?”

She spun and fell back a stunned step.

 _Black and red._ A black button up, and a shock of bright red hair.

“Nathaniel?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT 2.0 (10/2): this story isn't in my top to-finish fics, but I do want to work more on it and finish it at some point! Right now, I'm dealing with a whole lot of stuff and also having issues even working on my other fics that I'm actually trying to update. I do very much want to finish this, however!  
> -  
> [The idea for the dress Mari was wearing on her date because today i played a basic bitch who doesn’t come up with their own clothes](http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/1905248317_1/2014-New-American-Apparel-Women-Summer-Sexy-Prothorax-Cross-Strapless-Halter-Neck-Dress-Plus-Size-Club.jpg)  
> (check out my other ongoing fic for fancy-ass made up fashion)  
> ALSO  
> Maybe you’d like to know what I got up to all that time I was away for – [I COSPLAYED THAT CAT NERD HERE HE IS](https://www.instagram.com/p/BTPfCv8gFc7/?taken-by=kayizcray)

**Author's Note:**

> bruh comments are my life?? long comments kill me in the best way????? please interact (i almost wrote inter-cat i'm so sorry) with me i'm a lonely fandomy mess of a shut-in ;_; thank u babes  
> NEW also: come check out my [creative tumblr](https://kayizcray.tumblr.com/) where i post updates about my writing and any other creative endeavors i undertake, like cosplays and art!  
> -  
> sidenote if you're waiting for a new chapter on this u can check out my other TWO current ongoing fics - my life's work: a film and fashion phanfic & also a new modern magicish klance au - as probably one or another will have been updated recently  
> i just juggle all three cause i hate myself lol


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